There are many ways to look at the constant discussion among winemakers and wine-drinkers – do we blend, or don’t we? Do we make wine that is 100 percent of the named grape, or do we blend three or four types of grapes from three or four different vineyards?
Or do we do as the French do, vinifying all the grapes that grow in our little plot and putting our name on the label?
The discussion has been going on as long as grapes have been growing, and will continue as long as they grow, or after. . . .
I don’t have a strong opinion in this argument. I’ve drunk wonderful blends, and wonderful single-grape bottles, often from single vineyards. And the opposite has occurred as well, often without my having sure knowledge of the fault. Might have been a flaw in one of the grapes of the blend, or all of the grapes of the non-blend. Maybe the weather was different that year, with the grapes responding negatively, or something went awry in the fermentation, or the blending, or during the aging process. Actually, there are as many mysterious, still-unknown reasons for great wine as there are for wine that falls flat in the glass.
But I got into a few blends recently, found them interesting and tasty, the sort of wines I enjoy discussing, and drinking, too.
Three were California natives, one from Bogle, a veteran producer of excellent value wines from its facility in Clarksburg, and a buyer of grapes from various growers in northern California; and two vintages of the Alexander Valley red wine called Secolo from Sebastiani, a Sonoma County mainstay for generations.
The other came from d’Avola, a Sicilian wine maker, punnily named Fourplay, partly because it’s an equal blend of four local grapes, Nero, Frappato Nero, Nerello Cappicio and Nerello Mescalese. Like many Sicilian wines, this 2004 vintage still is young and slightly raw, but has an earthy, rich flavor and should improve in the next year or two. It’s a perfect match for pasta with a hearty tomato sauce, with meat and lots of garlic.
The Sebastiani offerings, one from 2004 and the other two years older, are interesting, flavorful blends, different from year to year, but both priced at $30. Secolo means century in Italian, and the first one, the ‘01, was released in 2004 to mark the 100-year anniversary of the family’s winery. The elder brother, rich and well-rounded, has shaken off its youthfulness and relaxed its muscles, as it were. It’s 68 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 28 percent Merlot and 4 percent Zinfandel, with the Merlot bringing a pleasing softness to the rough edges of the Cab. The Zin ties them together, adding a blackberry component that is delightful. The younger Secolo, from 2004, also begins with 68 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, but then goes in another direction, with 16 percent Petite Verdot, 8 percent Malbec, 7 percent Merlot and 1 percent Petite Sirah. The Petite Verdot adds softness and makes the wine more approachable, but it should be opened 30-40 minutes before dinner, at which time the various grapes come together for a full-flavored wine with jammy and plummy feelings.
The Bogle wine, also with a proprietary label, Phantom, is from ‘03 and is a fine value at only $16, with its flavor coming from a blend of 59 percent Petite Sirah, 39 percent Zinfandel and 2 percent Mourvedre. Like the Secolos, it’s a full-bodied wine of big flavor and a long finish, with an aroma and taste more of raspberries. Another excellent wine to accompany a grilled sirloin. Given sirloin prices, it would work with a good hamburger, too.
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And a couple of worthy Cabernet Sauvignons, from up and down the Western Hemisphere:
Chilean winemaker Cousino-Macul offers a delightful, medium-bodied 2003 Cab, a fine value at $14, with a great deal of complexity and a lengthy finish. Another from Chile, by Veramonte in the Maipo Valley, showed an extremely tasty 2003 Reserve Cab at only $12 and Louis M. Martini, whose winery is a beacon of Napa Valley excellence, has a recent release of a 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) that is full-bodied, with a fine, dark flavor of plums and blackberries and a smooth finish that enphasizes the glories of Napa Valley fruit. All three are outstanding.
-Joe